Abyssus is entering a new era.
Led by its founders Kostas Analytis (vocals, ex-Carnal Garden, Cryptic Realms and Soulskinner) and Panos Gkourmpaliotis (guitar, ex-Cross Denied), the Greek band has recruited Manolis Skoularakos (bass, Blasteroid, Venus) and Constantine Jajas (drums, Blasteroid, Venus), signs with Fireflash Records, and announces the release of its third album, The Reign.
The recording also featured Konstantinos Foukarakis (guitar, Exarsis, Rotting Christ live), Fotis Benardo (drums, Nightfall, Nightrage, ex-Septicflesh…), and Chris Zoukas (bass, Sacral Rage, ex-Violent Definition).
The Meaning of Pain hits the ground running, delivering heavy Death Metal that makes no secret of its Thrash influences or Old School roots immediately making us bang our heads and winning over the audience in no time, while the vocalist roars, stopping only when Out of Reach kicks in with its jagged riffs. Vocals once again bring a welcome burst of rage to an already powerful foundation – one that, however, is easily overshadowed during the solo – before a bleak final leads into Asphyxiation, a new track with a catchy groove that unleashes waves of aggression. It’s easy to get swept up in the moment, but the track quickly shifts to Destined to Die, where we’re off at full speed with a touch of Black/Death Metal to break our necks, yet the band doesn’t hold back, unleashing a convulsive and devastating onslaught before the solo softens the mix, just as the intro to At Any Cost gives us a moment’s respite before striking. The track starts off fairly calm yet heavy, then the rhythm section ignites and remains fairly consistent, capitalizing on frenzied drumming before giving way to the final solo, followed by The Path I Chose and its chaotic intro which also leads to a powerful surge of violence. The same goes for The Prophecy, the track takes its time with a short intro before charging ahead at a brisk pace, continuing to use shrill harmonics to reinforce the lively rhythm and vengeful screams, just as on Killing Tendency, which stays in the same vein and builds on an already effective foundation with a more mysterious touch toward the middle. The track is still fairly short, however, and the same goes for Await The Final Call, which takes more or less the same approach with a majestic break before giving way to Trapped in Purgatory, a track that will surprise listeners not only with its seven-minute runtime but also with its sinister intro, which leads into heavy Doom/Death influences for a good half of the song, though it doesn’t hesitate to pick up the pace midway through before returning to a more oppressive sound.
There’s no doubt that Abyssus loves their fast and fairly raw Death Metal, but The Reign will surprise us a bit toward the end with a very long track that’s much more diverse, proving that the band does know how to reinvent itself a little.
70/100
